Vehicle Modifications on a Budget

by Mark Peacock

I don't believe genuine 4WDrivers are ever satisfied with the way their 4WD rolls off the production line, regardless of make or model. It's the ability to customise your 4WD to suit your own purposes that gives every 4WD it's unique identity.

Given an unlimited budget, and who hasn't dreamed about that, you could flip the pages of an accessories catalogue, tick the items you desire and have James take the 4WD to be fitted out while you relax in the Bahamas. But once your dreaming is over, its back to reality and how are you going to afford all the goodies you want with what cash is left over from buying the vehicle in the first place. Everybody has their own ideas about what they want and, if majority rules is anything to go by, its a shiny alloy bullbar and wide tyres on mag wheels. Now while this may be o.k. for some folks, its not my idea of first priority items. My current vehicle is a 1990 HZJ 80 series Landcruiser that I’ve owned for nearly 3 years. In that time I have fitted the following items as my budget allows. It may not be everybodies ideal list but it suits me (and my budget).

First off, I carry a fair bit of cargo in the back at times and would not want to be without a cargo barrier. Some people may scoff at this as my starting point, but I don't want to start a new fashion trend by wearing a snatch block on the back of my neck. I know most 4WD wagons have tie down points for cargo but how many people can honestly say they tie down all cargo all the time? I know I never did because sometimes I was "just going around the block". Owners of 7 seater style wagons may say a cargo barrier is impratical for them, but if you take the time to remove the rear seats when you go out bush, then at the same time put in the cargo barrier. They do not have to be left in when using the vehicle as a 7 seater, it's just a matter of undoing 4 bolts to remove it.

Another 'must have' safety item is a first-aid kit and fire extinguisher. I've fitted my extinguisher to the 'D' pillar and always carry a small first-aid kit in the glove box, while on longer journeys I carry a comprehensive kit. It's little use though having a first-aid kit if you don't know what to do, so I've done a Senior First Aid course. For the sake $100 and 3 days of your time, it's cheap insurance. While it may seem I'm going overboard on safety, at least I'll probably survive any minor catastrophe while waiting to be rescued. Actually, it's the following vehicle modifications I prefer to spend my hard earned cash on, but common sense puts the priority on safety.

My vehicle was fitted with 10.5x31 R15 tyres on chromed steel rims before I owned it. As I spend a reasonable amount of time sand driving they are quite acceptable. Chromed steel rims were used, which is fortunate as they tend to take more punishment than alloy. The lower ground clearance of the 10.5x31 R15 tyres is proving less than ideal and so I’ve managed to acquire a set of standard split rims. A matching set of 7.50 R16 tyres is close to the top of my shopping list. Although skinnies don’t look the part like a nice set of "fatties", they are the most proven setup for serious four wheel driving. A heavy duty steel bullbar was added up front, not only for protection from maurading trees and bushes, but also to mount CB antennas and spotlights. Steel was used because of cost considerations and, given the choice again, I would probably prefer alloy to reduce weight over the front wheels. Fitted behind the bullbar is a 8,000lb Ramsay electric winch with clutch to allow manual spooling out of the winch cable. A light duty towbar has been fitted for domestic chore reasons rather than any serious towing needs and I made sure that the all standard recovery points were not removed. In fact I fitted a second recovery point on the rear chassis rail as the bolt holes are already there and the towbar installer had a drum full of them! I now have recovery points on all four corners of the vehicle.

The standard spare tyre position on an 80 series Landcruiser was thought up by someone who's never had to change a tyre in the bush. It may be acceptable on bitumen but it can be near impossible to get at in some offroad situations. Not only that, but the fact that it becomes the lowest point on the vehicle once even 'medium' size wide tyres are added (or with the standard fatties on GXL models) makes the engineer responsible deserving of the wood duck award. Needless to say, you'll find a rear bumper mounted spare tyre carrier, modified to carry a HiLift jack, behind my cruiser.

Under the bonnet is a dual battery setup with one deep cycle battery (80Ah) alongside the standard heavy duty (600CCA) one. If your running an electric winch or fridge, a dual battery setup is mandatory. Even if you not, going offroad without a second battery is like leaving behind your spare tyre. Most times you never need it but when you do, you may be stranded without it. Although if you always go offroad in convey, then you can get away with a good set of jumper leads. I find I personally prefer to use a manual battery isolator as it gives me the choice of exactly which battery is connected, but if your the forgetful type , you can easily end up with two flat batteries. I would actually recommend one of the auto type islolators to most people, but talk to your installer as this will vary depending on the type of vehicle and accessories you plan to use.

Inside the engine bay, another useful addition I made was the 12V ARB air compressor. It can pump a tyre from 15psi to 30psi in around 3 minutes, just the thing for sand running. An item that was fitted by the former owner is the cruise control. I previously thought it would have been a superficious item, but after travelling around Australia recently I would absolutely recommend it. A Racor fuel filter replaces the original unit, but still utilises the original primer pump while a Uni filter replaces the paper air filter. This is to help ensure that only clean air and fuel reach the engine. A Safari snorkel has been fitted to ensure the engine doesn’t drown in some of the deeper river crossings I’ve done. The standard air ram is normally used when driving around town, but I also have a pre-cleaner for those dusty gravel roads.

The underbody is now adorned with a set of heavy duty high lift coils and shocks from Old Man Emu. They transformed the handling of the vehicle onroad while improving it dramatically offroad. Admittedly my old original equipment suspension was well past its useby date (150,000kms), but I could not believe the difference the OME suspension made. A Lock Right diff lock has been fitted to the front axle to complement the standard LSD in the rear. I was contemplating upgrading the LSD to a locker, but so far I haven’t been anywhere were it would of made a difference. The traction difference with a locker is roughly equivalent to that when switching from 2 to 4 wheel drive.

Other accessories added inside the vehicle are limited to a rear drawer system, fold down table, CB radio, seat covers for the standard vinyl seats, a hat saver and a ten dollar door mounted can holder. Its this $10 item that is by far and away the best value for money. Some people may think that they're an unnecessary gimmick, but thats from people who have never used one! The rear drawer system is a solidly constructed homemade set fitted behind the cargo barrier. It neatly stores all those bulky items that are so necessary but normally awkward to carry. This includes, amongst other things, recovery gear such as a snatch block, tree trunk protector, snatch strap, tow strap and shackles.

About the only other item fitted is a steel full length roof rack. I personally have never had a problem with alloy roof racks, probably because I've never had one, but I've heard the occasional horror stories from others who have. When buying a roof rack, take careful note of where it mounts to the gutter and preferably buy one with full length rails for the gutter to help spread the load.

All tolled, the cost so far is in excess of six thousand dollars and the vehicle is now getting close to my ideal 4x4. Still on my shopping list is a chassis mounted water tank, diff lock for the rear, aftermarket oil filters, 7.50xR16 tyres, dash mounted GPS system and HF radio but unfortunately my lotto numbers just refuse to come up.

Hopefully, most of these items and more will be added as the budget allows but at this stage thats all folks. How far down your own dream list are you?            (c) 4WD Encounter 1998

 These pages were last updated on 16th September 1998.
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